The 73rd Annual Hunger Games
by ThatMeepViolet
Summary: One year before Katniss Everdeen faces the arena, Finnick's younger cousin, Coral Odair is reaped for the Games. She died in the bloodbath. But what if her sister, Meliah had volunteered for her? With the odds not in her favor, can Meliah survive the brutal Hunger Games, or will she meet a horrible death like so many tributes before her? Rated T for violence- it's the Hunger Games.
1. Summary

**This isn't a chapter, but a summary of what the book will be about. Also, this is kind of an alternate universe because the 73rd Games will be different. Note: This will not affect any previous Games or the 74th Hunger Games.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games or any of it's characters. The only ones I can claim are Meliah, Coral, Liam, and the tributes and their names for the 73rd Hunger Games. **

_What not many people know is that Finnick Odair had two younger cousins, Meliah and Coral. Coral was reaped for the 73rd Annual Hunger Games when she was twelve years old. She was one of the first tributes to die in the bloodbath. The arrogant, but clever girl from District 2 won the Games- Coral's killer._

_But what if Coral's twin sister, Meliah Odair, had volunteered for her? With her cousin's help, will she survive the brutal Hunger Games, or will she die like so many tributes before her? Let the 73rd Hunger Games begin! _

**Note: I know this is short, but it's just the summary. Chapter 1 will be coming super soon. Also, I already have all of the tributes and characters, so please don't try to submit some in reviews and/or PM. Thanks! **


	2. The Reaping and Tribute Parade

**Hello and welcome to the 73rd Annual Hunger Games! This is just an idea that popped into my head, so I decided to just go with it. As you probably already knew, this story will be focusing on Meliah, a twelve year old girl from District 4 who is forced to compete in the 73rd Hunger Games: exactly one year before Katniss Everdeen faces the arena. Enjoy!**

Coral and I stare at our reflections in the mirror. Today is our first reaping. Coral wears a white, lacy dress with matching gloves and shoes, while I wear a simple blue dress with plain white flats. Other than our clothes, few people could tell us apart. Being twins, we had the same long, strawberry blonde hair, tan skin, and ocean blue eyes.

"Meliah, what if one of us gets chosen?" Coral asks.

"We won't be," I respond. "This is our first year, and neither of us have taken any tesserae."

We turn around when we hear our father and grandmother walk into the small bedroom that we share.

"We need to leave now," our father tells us. "The reaping starts in less than an hour."

"You girls look beautiful," Grandma compliments, smiling at us, even though there's no reason to smile. The four of us walk towards the town square: my father in front, I follow behind, looking around the beautiful beaches of District 4, and Coral and Grandma trail behind us, having a conversation of their own.

We check in and stand with the other twelve year old girls near the back, and I spot my best friend, Liam, standing closer to the stage with the other fourteen year old boys. Coral's best friend, Pearl, stands next to us. Too soon, the mayor steps forward and reads a long speech about why 23 innocent children have to be slaughtered in the Hunger Games.

After that, our district escort from the Capitol, Erika Rosegold, comes on stage. She is a very short woman- I would probably be an inch taller than her if it weren't for her giant high heels- with short blue hair, pale skin that has a blue tint to it, and eyes that are so dark it's almost creepy. She wears a sea green dress that has way too many fake sea creatures attached to it. I think she did that because District 4 is fishing, but I will never understand Capitol fashion.

"Welcome to the reaping of the 73rd Annual Hunger Games! May the odds be ever in your favor! As usual, ladies first!" She bounces across the stage and reaches into one of the glass balls with thousands of slips of paper.

I silently pray it won't be me. And my prayer is answered, but not in the way I had hoped. The District 4 girl chosen to be in the Hunger Games isn't me.

"Coral Odair!"

No! No, no, no, no, no, no, _no_!

I freeze, full of shock and terror. Coral's face is pale, and she slowly walks up onto the stage. When Erika asks for volunteers, before I know what I'm doing, I yell, "I volunteer as tribute!" Coral's eyes widen as I run up to the stage.

"Liah, no! Please!" Coral pleads.

"I have to," I insist. I hug her before she is dragged off of the stage by Peacekeepers, still kicking and screaming.

"Excellent! A volunteer! What's your name, dear?" Erika asks.

"Meliah," I say. "Meliah Odair."

Erika Rosegold clears her throat and asks, "Are you two related to Finnick Odair?"

I nod my head. "Finnick is my cousin. Our fathers were brothers."

"Alrighty, now for the boys!" Erika beams. I don't recognize the name she calls, and I lock eyes with my older cousin, who I haven't seen in years.

"I volunteer!" I hear a confident voice say. "I volunteer as tribute!"

I watch a tall boy with light hair and sea green eyes walk up onstage. He looks around eighteen, and I know right away that he thinks he can win with the Careers.

"And what is your name, young man?" Erika asks.

"Adrian Markus!" the boy says proudly.

"Well, it appears we have our District 4 tributes!" Erika announces. I don't listen to the mayor when he reads the Treaty of Treason. I only think of the next couple of weeks ahead. _I'll surely be dead by then, _I think. I only pay attention when Erika's high pitched Capitol accent says, "both of you, shake hands." We do as she says, and shake hands. "Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor!"

Soon, Adrian and I are escorted to the Justice Building, and we both wait in two large, elaborate rooms. The next hour will be my last one in District 4 before I'm forced to go to the Capitol. I'm glad that I get that time to say goodbye to my friends and family.

Coral, my father and my grandmother come in first. For a while, we all hug each other and cry. I know my time with them is nearly over so I say, "I love you all so much."

"You're strong, Liah," Coral tells me. "Don't count yourself out yet. You can win this."

"Coral-"

"Meliah, please! Just try to win! Promise me you won't go down without a fight!" Coral orders.

"Alright, I promise!" I say, hugging her even tighter. "You'll be okay without me. If I don't make it back home, you all will be okay."

Suddenly, a Peacekeeper enters. "Time's up! Get out!" He barks, already dragging them out of the room.

"No! Liah, don't go! Please! Liah!" Coral screams, making me start crying again. But they're gone. And I'll never see them again.

The next person to visit me is Liam. He sits next to me without a word. Finally, I speak. "I'm going to miss you a lot, Liam."

"I'll make sure that nothing happens to your family," Liam promises.

"Thanks," I say. "I- I just wanted to say that you're the best friend I've ever had. And-"

"Meliah, I believe in you," Liam says. "You need to believe in yourself. You may be small, but you're smarter and faster than most of the others. I know you can do this."

"Thanks, Liam," I say.

"Just try to enjoy the Capitol, okay? I hear that the food is great," Liam jokes.

I smile. We sit in silence until the Peacekeeper orders Liam to leave. My next visitor is a bit of a surprise.

"Eight years, huh?" Finnick asks.

"Yeah," I say. "Time flies, I guess."

"Meliah, I wanted to come back and stay with you, Coral, and Grandma, you know," Finnick tells me.

"Then why didn't you?" I ask.

Finnick sighs. "It was for your own safety."

"Well, it's too late now," I say.

"Maybe it isn't," Finnick says.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I'm going to do everything I can to keep you alive in the arena," Finnick replies.

"Well, you're my mentor. Isn't that your job?"

Finnick rolls his eyes. I wish he could stay longer, but a Peacekeeper appears at the door and he leaves without argument. At least I'll see him on the train soon. Two of my classmates, Gil and Sirena, come to say their goodbyes, but I don't get any more visitors after that. I wouldn't exactly say that I'm 'popular' in Four. Adrian and I are led to the train station. When the doors close behind us, watching District 4 get further and further away feels like a punch to the stomach.

At dinner, I ask, "So what's the plan?"

"Alright, first of all, do you want to be trained separately or together?" Finnick asks.

"Together," Adrian answers. "If that's okay with Meliah."

"It's better to be a team than to be enemies," I say.

"Okay, then both Mags and I will be your mentors," Finnick says.

Erika loudly clears her throat. "And I'll be helping too. The Reapings were so exciting! The twelve year old cousin of Finnick Odair volunteers for her sister! I'm sure the Capitol will love that!"

I want to tell her that I couldn't care less what the Capitol thinks, but I know I need sponsors to stay alive, so I keep my mouth shut.

"Alright, so Adrian, I heard you trained at the academy for a while. What are your skills?" Finnick asks.

"I can use most weapons pretty well, but I'm best with a trident or a sword," Adrian replies. "I can make a fire and find shelter, but I don't have many other survival skills."

"Okay. Meliah, I know you haven't been trained, but is there anything that could help you survive?" Finnick says.

"Throwing knives," I say. "I practiced with them in case I ever had to go into the Games. I also know how to swim well, and I'm a pretty fast runner."

Finnick thinks about it for a minute. I notice how he bites his lip when he's thinking just like I do- we're more alike in small ways like this than most people realize. "Adrian, you shouldn't have much trouble becoming allies with tributes from 1 and 2. Meliah, you'll have to work extra hard to join them."

"What? I don't want to join them!" I say. "They hunt down the weaker tributes and enjoy killing!"

"I know, but joining their alliance gives you a bigger chance of getting into the final few tributes," Finnick points out.

"Yeah, and it'll give me a bigger chance of being stabbed in the back or killed in my sleep!" I say.

"Well, do you have a better idea?" Finnick asks.

"How about anything but joining the Careers," I say, annoyed.

"Enough!" Mags says suddenly. Finnick and I go silent. "You," she points at me. "Join the Careers. And you," she points to Adrian. "Protect her."

"Mags is right," Adrian says. "If they know I'm protecting her, they'll be less likely to try attacking her."

I look out the window and see the huge Capitol of Panem. "Woah. It's even more beautiful than I imagined."

"I can't believe people actually live here," Adrian says. District 4 is one of the nicer districts, but the Capitol makes it look like nothing.

We drive through the Capitol and people are crowded around the train station, waving at us and cheering. Even though I despise these people for enjoying watching innocent children die, I wave back and put on a fake smile.

Everything in the Capitol is amazing, beautiful, and most of it is completely pointless and impractical. Adrian and I get to stay on the fourth floor of the enormous training center that was built just for the tributes. I wake up the next morning and have about an hour of free time before my prep team comes and gets me. I lose track of how much time they spend making me look perfect. And the Capitol standard of perfect is completely ridiculous.

When they finally finish, my stylist, a man in his mid forties with pale purple hair named Kurt, comes in. He looks at me thoughtfully. "Meliah, how would you describe yourself?"

I'm a little bit surprised by the question, but I try to answer. "I don't really know. Antisocial? Prickly?"

"No, that's not what I'm thinking of," Kurt says. "I'm thinking of a girl that was brave enough to volunteer to save her sister, but I'm also thinking of a cute and innocent little girl who would do anything for her family."

"I think cute and innocent is a bit of a stretch," I say.

Kurt gives me an amused smile. "Maybe. But we might as well try something that the audience will like."

"So you want me to pretend to be an innocent little girl?" I ask.

"Exactly. When the Capitol looks at you, I want them to see a cute kid, but also a fighter. I want them to see the real Meliah Odair," Kurt says.

A few hours later, I'm standing next to a chariot the color of the ocean with fake nets decorating it. I wear a long dress with hundreds of shades of blue and green. Adrian wears a similar outfit, but his makes him look taller and more intimidating.

"Alright, when your chariot comes out, I want to see big smiles," Adrian's stylist, Neptune, says. Neptune is worse than Erika- he is even more bubbly and he's happier about the Games than anybody I've ever met. "And can you two please look happy to be here? It isn't every day that you get the honor of competing in the Hunger Games!" Oh, the things I'd do to be able to punch a few Capitol citizens right in the nose...

Adrian and I step inside the chariot when we see District 1's going out. It looks like they're covered in... peacock feathers? District 1 is almost as bad as the Capitol. District 2 and 3's chariots start moving, and then ours does.

The crowd cheers even louder when they see Adrian and I. I do my best to smile and wave, and I think I'm convincing enough. Finally, it's over and President Snow gives us a welcome speech. How does he live with himself? I'm tempted to flip him off in front of all of the cameras, but I decide against it.

The tributes from Districts 1 and 2 approach Adrian as we get out of the chariot.

"We formed an alliance," the District 2 girl says. "I think you would be useful. So, what do you say?"

"Yeah, we'd both be happy to join you guys," Adrian says.

"Not the kid," the boy from 1 sneers.

His district partner, a girl with blonde hair and icy blue eyes giggles. "We don't let bratty kids into the alliance."

"Well, it's either both of us or neither of us," Adrian says.

"Adrian, really, it's fine," I start to say.

"No, it's not," Adrian says. "Meliah is useful. She's small, but fast. And she's great at knife throwing."

The four of them seems to consider this for a minute. "Fine," the girl from 2 says. "We'll watch her during training and then decide. Fair enough?"

Adrian looks like he wants to protest, but he just sighs. "That's fair."

"Oh, I'm Juniper, by the way," she says, and then points to her district partner. "And that's Victor."

"I'm Diamond," the girl from District 1 says, and winks at Adrian before giggling again.

"Prince," the District 1 boy says.

"My name is Adrian, and this is Meliah." I wave awkwardly, and all of them except Juniper glare at me. At least she seems okay. Not that that's going to matter much when they kill me.

"See you both at training tomorrow," Juniper says, and the four of them walk away.

"Well, they were pleasant," I say when they're gone.

Adrian snorts. "Yeah, right."

"Thanks for convincing them to give me a chance," I say, actually meaning it. "You didn't have to do it."

"We're district partners, right?"

"I know, but why are you being so nice to me?" I ask.

"You're a lot like my little sister," Adrian says thoughtfully. "She was twelve when she was reaped two years ago. I want to win for her. But I want to help you too."

"Well, I think you can either do one or the other," I say.

"I'll know what to do when the time comes," Adrian says. He seems so sure that I decide not to argue. "Well, you'd better get some sleep. Training starts tomorrow."

**Please review and tell me what you think. Thank you for reading and have an awesome day!**


	3. Ruby- District 1

**This chapter will be in the point of view of Ruby, a seven year old girl from District 1, who is Diamond's younger sister. Every other chapter, I'll have a short one from the point of view of a tribute's friend or family member.**

I sit with my two little sisters, Sapphire and Emerald, as we watch the tribute parade. Diamond looks so pretty! I wish I looked more like her. Sapph and Emmy, who are identical twins, have her big, blue eyes and beautiful golden hair. I, however, look just like my mom- too many freckles to count, frizzy red hair, crooked teeth (although, _her's _were fixed when she was only a bit older than me).

"One day, I'm going to volunteer too," I declare to the only three people in the room. Dad is working late again, but he'll probably get to see parts of the parade at work.

Mom looks up from her knitting, her chocolatey eyes focused on the screen. A disapproving frown crosses her face before her attention returns to her half finished blanket. She dislikes the idea of us going into the Games. Her younger sister, my Aunt Amethyst, participated in the 52nd Hunger Games. She could've made it home. It was down to the two from our district and three others. That was when her own district partner slit her throat.

However, her and Dad have promised to send me to the Academy as soon as I turn ten years old so I can begin my training. Only three more years to go! Then I'll have at least five or six years to train before it's my turn to bring honor to District 1.

_No_, I tell myself. _Now is Diamond's time. _

I should be happy for my sister, after all. Not that she's ever made it easy by being so perfect.

After Diamond has vanished from the screen, the camera focuses on the pair from 2, then 3, then District 4- everybody's been talking about Finnick Odair's cousin, who's twelve years old- and eventually onto the boring Districts. The parade is over after President Snow gives his usual welcoming speech to the tributes. I notice that the girl from 4 gets more screen time than anybody else. I bet she's going to have an advantage in the Games because of her cousin. A lot of the tributes look really strong.

That's when I begin thinking._ What if Diamond doesn't come back?_

No, she's going to come home. She has to, doesn't she?


	4. Training

**This chapter will cover training and tribute scores. Happy reading!**

I wake up early the next morning and see a stack of clothes next to me. I quickly shower and pull on the training outfit. I brush out my hair and put it in a neat ponytail. Training starts in two hours. I leave my room to go eat breakfast and see that Adrian is already up. He wears an identical training outfit with a '4' on it.

"Morning," he says cheerfully. Why does this guy have to be so likeable?

"You look cheerful," I say. "What are they putting in that food?"

Adrian grins. "We can't all be downers, Meliah."

"Hey, I am not a downer!" I say.

"Whatever you say." He ruffles my hair as he walks by and I glare at him playfully, but I'm smiling too.

I grab a plate and fill it with scrambled eggs, blueberry pancakes, and some sort of meat that they called "bacon". I've never heard of it- apparently it was popular before Panem was even around. Even in District 4, we never get this much food. Liam would love it here.

"So, ready for training?" Adrian asks.

"Not really, but if they waited until all of us were ready, there wouldn't be any Games," I say.

"Good point," Adrian says, biting into an apple. I've had one a couple of times, but apples aren't very common in 4.

We finish our breakfast and head to training an hour later. Diamond, Prince, Juniper, Victor, the boy from 6, the girls from 7 and 8, and the pair from District 11 are already there. I remember that the girls from District 7 and 8 are about my age. I think their names are Cedar and Lilabelle. Everybody arrives within the next twenty minutes, with the boy from 9 being the last one to show up. I remember that he's twelve too.

Looking around, this year has a lot more young tributes than usual- six of us aren't even fourteen yet. The two tributes from District 10 are siblings, which is uncommon but definitely not impossible. A woman named Atala gives us some instructions before we can go train with whatever we want. I remember what Finnick told me yesterday- show off with knives. I guess it's a good plan. The more useful the Careers think I am, the less likely they'll kill me early on.

All of us seem to have one or two weapons we're really good with- Diamond is good with smaller weapons, like knives, and Prince prefers a sword, and has brute strength on his side. Juniper never misses with a bow and arrow, Victor is good with both a spear and a mace, and Adrian is skilled with a trident and a sword, like he told me earlier.

I take a deep breath as I pick up several throwing knives and a training exercise begins. A dummy randomly pops up and I have to hit the target on either its chest or head. Easy enough... right? The first dummy pops up and I throw the knife- it barely hits the thing. Frowning, I throw another and hit it just left of the target on its chest, getting the hang of real throwing knives, which are much different than the old ones I trained myself with. When the next one appears, I get much closer, and by the time the fifth one is up I hit it dead center.

I do the training two more times, and I hit the target exactly in the middle each time during my last try. Juniper stands behind me with Adrian and Prince and she claps slowly. "Impressive," she says.

"I told you she's useful," Adrian says.

"Maybe." Juniper looks at me for a couple minutes before Victor comes over with Diamond and she speaks again. "Alright, I say she's in."

"Me too," Prince agrees.

"I'll only let her in on one condition," Victor says. "If she's any trouble, I get to kill her."

"If you touch her, I will end you," Adrian growls.

I know I'm shaking, but I try to hide it. "I won't be any trouble."

"Good. Then she can hang around for a while," Victor finally says.

We all look at Diamond, who groans. "Fine. At least we can count on her getting enough sponsors if supplies run out."

I head to the climbing station next. There's usually at least a few trees, so I figure it'll be a good skill to have. I get the hang of it pretty quickly, and move on to the plants station, which I'm not really good at.

"Actually, those berries are poisonous. The ones you're looking for grow on bushes with yellow stems, not red ones," a voice says. I turn and see Lilabelle from District 8.

"Thanks," I say, smiling.

"No problem. They grow all around my district," Lilabelle replies. "I think it's really brave that you volunteered for your sister."

"I couldn't just let her die, could I?" I ask.

"I get it. I have a little sister and two little brothers back in 8. But it was still really brave of you," Lilabelle says. "I don't think I would've been brave enough to do what you did."

"There are so many of us that are twelve or thirteen. It doesn't seem fair," I say.

"It isn't," Lilabelle agrees. "That's why I was thinking that the youngest of us could form our own alliance."

"Sorry, Lilabelle, but I'm already allies with the Careers," I say. "And I can't afford to get on their bad side."

"That's okay. Good luck," she says, and then walks away to talk to Silena, the twelve year old girl from District 6. Funny, she looks a lot like my classmate, Sirena. Even their names are similar. Or maybe I'm just missing home so much that I'm seeing things.

Shaking my head, I head to fire starting a couple of minutes later, and see Ashe from 12 is already there.

"Hey," he says. "Me and some others are starting our own alliance. You can join if you want."

"I would love to, but I already agreed to be with my district partner the tributes from 1 and 2," I say. "And I don't want to move higher up on their kill list."

"Well, don't underestimate me," Ashe jokes. "I may be small, but I am four feet and nine inches of terror!"

I laugh, and I can tell that that was his goal. "Listen, I just want to say that I'm sorry for anything that happens in the arena."

Ashe shrugs. "Hopefully, we won't run into each other. If we're both on our own, though, maybe we could hang out."

"I'd like that," I say.

A couple hours later, we take a break to eat lunch. I sit with Diamond, Prince, Victor, Juniper, and Adrian. The five of them have been trying to intimidate the other tributes all day. Most of the others sit alone or with their district partner. Lilabelle and her district partner, Gabriel, sit with Silena, Ash from 12, and Lexi from 5. I'm glad that Lilabelle and three other kids my age are together- and Lexi, who's fifteen and seems to be very smart and strong is with them. Diamond, Prince, and Victor entertain themselves by talking about who will and won't make it past the bloodbath.

"I bet that scrawny kid from 3 will be one of the first ones dead," Prince says.

"Him and the boy from District 9," Diamond adds. "And the pathetic girl from 6. Can you believe that those kids are trying to start their own alliance?"

Prince scoffs. "We'll take out most of them in the first few minutes. I wouldn't worry."

Adrian and I exchange a glance. It's obvious that neither of us are comfortable with this topic, and the only one who seems to realize that is Juniper. I'm starting to think that she's the only Career besides me and Adrian that isn't a total airhead. But their arrogance might be what ends them. I've seen Career packs turn on each other too early in previous Games and it usually leads to somebody from an outer district winning.

Juniper loudly clears her throat. "Have you three even been paying attention to the Games for the past few years? Last year, District 2 got lucky, but that boy from 10 almost won because our tributes underestimated him. And the year before, it _was_ a pathetic girl from an outer district who won, thanks to the others not worrying about her."

"Lighten up, June," Victor tells her. "One of _us_ is gonna win this year. Well, not Meliah, obviously."

Diamond, Prince, and Victor all laugh at this, while Juniper, Adrian, and I are unamused. I want to say something but they're right. Twelve year olds never make it very far in the Games. Even Finnick, who was fourteen when he won, got lucky and became the youngest victor ever. And even if I get sponsors, the situation is still hopeless. Of course, I don't bother to point out that three years ago, things seemed pretty hopeless for the girl from my district, Annie Cresta, but she still managed to win.

I'm thankful when Atala blows her whistle and I quickly go back to training. Even though I'm from District 4, where I learned how to tie knots before I could talk, I head to the knot tying station just in case. I'm glad I did because I learn some more about snares and traps which could really help if supplies run out. I go to hand to hand combat next. I stay there for the rest of the day. I figure that this will be useful if I can't get my hands on any knives. Even if I'm small, better to be prepared, right?

I go about the second day in a similar way: I start with throwing knives, then move on to some survival stations until lunch, and then work on fighting and a wider variety of weapons. I'm more critical about what I do on the last day of training. This time, I go back to each station for about half and hour to practice once again. When I leave to go to lunch, I feel more confident about my survival skills, but I'm nowhere near ready to enter the arena. Then again, who is?

During lunch, we get called away one at a time by the Gamemakers for our private sessions. They call Prince first, and then Diamond about ten minutes later. Then it's Victor and Juniper, followed by the boy from 3, Gadget, and his district partner, Pixel.

"Adrian Markus," an almost robotic voice announces. Adrian gets up and takes a deep breath.

"Good luck," I say.

"You too. Remember what your cousin said about throwing knives," Adrian replies.

I nod, and he leaves. It couldn't have been more than fifteen minutes when I hear the voice again.

"Meliah Odair."

I stand and walk into the room. I do everything I can to hide my fear, but I'm sure it still shows. As I enter, most of the Gamemakers seem to be paying attention to me. Being a victor's cousin does have its perks. Sure, being thrown into the Games isn't one of them, but at least I have a better chance than most twelve year olds. But as I look at them, with their huge grins, my fear quickly morphs into hatred.

I pick up several throwing knives and throw three at a target. I hit the center all three times. Next, I do a cartwheel and throw another one at a different target, and then I do a backflip and hit another one. A few Gamemakers are applauding but I'm not done. I put down the knives and move several training mats underneath the climbing station. I pick up a trident and begin to climb up with the it in one hand, which is much easier said than done. It's heavy and awkward in my hand. How Finnick can use this thing, I'll never know. When I reach the top I let myself drop and stab the mats with the trident as hard as I can before standing and posing for the Gamemakers, most of which are clapping and cheering.

"Ms. Odair, you may go now," a man who I recognize as Seneca Crane says. Before I leave I notice him give a small nod, which I take as a good sign. I go inside one of the elevators and press the button with a glowing '4' on it. Finnick, Adrian, Mags, Annie, Kurt, Erika, and Neptune are waiting for me. I haven't seen much of Annie, but from what I can tell, she's a sweet girl, and not 'mad' like the Capitol people say. I kind of think that Finnick has a thing for her, but I haven't really gotten around to asking him about it.

"How'd it go?" Finnick asks.

I grin. "Better than I thought. I think that they liked it. They were really impressed with the knives. But I'm still worried that they'll give me a lower score because of my age and size."

"She makes a good point," Neptune says. "Meliah is rather small, and not really a person I'd see as a victor. A twelve year old _winning _the Games! Can you imagine?"

"Actually, Meliah is really good with knives and she's in our alliance. I wouldn't underestimate her," Adrian says.

Neptune scoffs. "We'll see, boy. We'll see."

The next few hours seem to last forever. As time passes, I get more and more nervous about what score I'll get. Finally, I hear Kurt exclaim, "It's on!" We all hurry to the room to see the scores.

Prince scores an 11, which is very impressive, while Diamond gets a 9. Juniper gets a 10, while Victor only scores an 8. The tributes from district 3 score one 3 and one 5. Adrian's picture is next and a 10 appears next to it.

We all cheer and congratulate Adrian. Next is my score and I'm freaking out.

"And now Meliah Odair... oh my- are you seeing this? Meliah Odair has scored an 8- the highest score for a twelve year old ever!" Claudius Templesmith announces.

An _8_! I got the same score as one of the _volunteers _from District 2! Everybody else in the room is as happy as they were with Adrian's score. Finnick hugs me, and says, "I'm so proud of you!"

"I... I can't believe it! I got an 8!" I exclaim. After we finish watching the scores- it turns out Lilabelle earned a 5- I eat dinner with the rest of them and go to bed early. I know that interviews are tomorrow, which does little to help my nerves. Not to mention that the Games start the day after that...

I wake up the next morning to a knock on my bedroom door. I'm surprised that I managed to get any sleep, but I guess I really needed it. I open the door and see Finnick.

"Morning, Liah," he says. "Today, we'll be getting ready for the interviews."

"How fun," I say sarcastically.

"Anyways, you'll eat breakfast and train with Erika while Adrian is with me until lunchtime. Then we'll switch," Finnick explains. "Got it?"

I nod, and he leaves: probably to go wake up Adrian. I take a quick shower and notice that Kurt has left me a simple white dress and high heels to change into when I'm done. I put on the dress and leave my room without the shoes. I see that Adrian is in a white suit with a pale blue tie.

I scoff. "What's with the suit?"

Adrian grins. "I kind of like it. What's with the dress?"

"Kurt made me wear it," I say simply. "I'm kind of dreading today, to be honest. What if I totally screw up my interview?"

"They're probably going to go over how we should act, even in these ridiculous clothes," Adrian says. "We'll be okay. Well, until tomorrow."

"Ridiculous? I think you look like 'such a handsome young man'," I tease, quoting his prep team in my best Capitol accent.

He rolls his eyes and opens his mouth to say something, but is interrupted by the sound of a loud, high pitched scream. We both jump, and see Erika, but she looks... happy? It's then that we realize she's squealing in joy.

"Oh, Meliah, you look so beautiful!" she exclaims. "And, Adrian, you're a very handsome young man."

I give Adrian a smug look, and I can tell that he's annoyed by her choice of words. After breakfast, I follow Erika and she makes me put on my heels despite how much I protest. For the next few hours, we go over sitting properly, walking properly, talking properly, and a lot of other things that aren't going to help me in the Arena. Finally, we eat lunch and I get to go with Finnick for the rest of the day.

In the end, we decide on the 'cute, innocent, and bubbly little girl' angle for my interview. It's a stretch, but we practice enough that I'm confident that I won't screw it up. Why does it even matter if the stupid Capitol people like me? I'm going to die soon because of them.

"So, if he asks you what was going through your head when you volunteered, you're going to say..."

"I just-" I stop for a second to make the saddest face I can, complete with puppy eyes. "I couldn't stand the thought of my sister getting hurt, but I- I'm so scared, and I have been since the Reaping. But I had to save Coral... I couldn't live with myself if I didn't."

"Nice job! And if he asks about your personal life?"

"Well, I love spending time with my best friend, Liam!" I giggle a little bit and force myself to blush while playing with my hair. Ugh, being this ditzy is almost worse than being literally stabbed in the back. "And I love the pretty sunsets back in Four. My home is amazing! It must be the most beautiful place in all of Panem!" Yeah, other than the Peacekeepers, public whippings, and the fact that it's basically a prison.

Finnick nods, grinning. "I think you're ready."

"You really think I can pull of the 'little girl' thing?"

"I know so. And the Capitol is going to love it."

I roll my eyes. "If they loved innocent children, then why are they forcing us to kill each other?" Finnick doesn't reply. "I'm going to die in there, aren't I?" I say after a long pause.

"We don't- we don't know that."

"Come on, Finnick! We both know that I don't stand a chance! Even with allies, and sponsors, and weapons, I'm not going to make it. There are twenty-three other tributes and only one of us can live."

"I know that it seems hopeless, but I was only fourteen when I won. You're almost thirteen. And you're smart. You can fight. And I will do everything I can to get you out of there. But you have to try. Really try."

"But I have to kill other kids. How- how can I? They're my age. Most of them are just like me. What if we just refuse to fight? Then they don't have their Games. We have to stop this," I say.

"We can't. Don't you think that others have tried? If you could even begin to convince the Careers not to, what's going to stop the Gamemakers? They'll just take away everything and see who lasts the longest. One way or another, they're going to have their Games and a victor."

"So that's it? Kids are just going to keep dying?"

"Meliah, please just stop. You don't think that others have tried to stop this? For right now, all we can do is try to survive. And if you try to fight them, they _will_ kill you."

"Aren't they going to do that anyways?"

"I thought you were going to try to win. For Coral, right?"

I avoid eye contact and frown.

"I know you can win this if you play your cards right. You might not be the strongest or the biggest, but you can run faster and hide in more places. I've seen you throw knives. For a kid who learned by throwing kitchen knives against trees, you're amazing."

"How did you know about that?" I ask.

"Liah, I did try to visit you guys every now and then. From the time you were eight, you practiced and practiced in case something like this happened."

"You know, you never really did tell me why you didn't stay with us after you won. We really missed you," I say.

Finnick is silent for a while. "Snow threatened you guys. If I didn't... do certain things. I tried to see you, but he told me that he'd kill all of you."

"So... you really were just trying to protect me?"

"Of course I was," he says. "All I wanted to was see you, Coral, your dad, and Grandma again, but I couldn't. Snow told me that I had to stay in Victor's Village or the Capitol at all times. Believe me, I despise that snake as much as you do, but he has all of the power."

I think about his words for a minute. "Finnick, do you mind if I go to my room for a little while before the interviews?"

"Go ahead," he says. "There's not really anything else I can do. Just make sure to come back in a couple of hours so Kurt can get you ready for them."

I nod and hurry towards the rooms. I stop to look around for anybody watching me and go down the hallway that leads to our mentors' and escort's rooms. I stop at Erika's. I silently turn the doorknob. Unlocked. Knowing I only have a few minutes, I quickly look through drawers until I find what I'm looking for. Two tiny slips of paper. I close the drawers and run out of the room, shutting the door behind me. Hopefully, she won't notice that anybody was in there.

Once I get back to my room, I closely examine the papers. The first one has the name, "_Kai Angler_" printed in neat handwriting. That was the boy Adrian volunteered for. I look at the other one. "_Brooklyn __Barramundi_". The name sounds familiar... I vaguely remember her as one of the older girls who went to my school not too long ago. But where is Coral's name? If it wasn't Coral who was chosen for the Games, why did Erika call her name?

That's when it hits me. Snow rigged the reaping.


	5. Ares- District 2

**This chapter will be from the point of view of Ares, Victor's oldest brother and one of the trainers at District 2's Academy. **

I'm thankful that the Academy doesn't make us train during the weeks of the Games. Of course, that never stops a few groups of kids from sneaking into the building so they can use whatever equipment they'd like and not have to wait for their turns. If we wanted, we could punish them for sneaking in without permission, but what does it matter if they're just excited for the Games?

I remember being a teenager. I wanted to represent District 2 in the Hunger Games so badly, but the closest I ever got was third place. The Academy puts out a list that determines who will volunteer each year. There's the designated volunteer, the backup volunteer- in case the original one gets hurt or sick before the Reaping- and then third, fourth, and fifth place. But, as usual, the designated volunteer went into the Games.

I'm almost ashamed to admit that I smiled when he was mauled to death by bear mutts. _Almost. _

Victor's done a good job making an impression so far. My little brother is good looking enough and he's always been a smooth talker. He seemed nervous at the parade, though, which isn't like him. It's safe to say that I was disappointed that he only scored and '_8_' in training. Sure, he's not exactly the smartest, but his ability to throw spears should have given him a higher score.

God, I hope he doesn't screw this up.

The interviews are tonight. That should give him a chance to attract some sponsors. Once he's in the arena, he's probably teamed up with the pair from District 1 and possibly the boy from 4. If he makes it past the bloodbath, he has a good chance at winning. I shouldn't be worrying about that yet. The Games don't start until tomorrow, anyways.

I have a couple hours before the interviews start, so I decide to head to the local gym. It's usually pretty empty around this time of year. The only other person in the weight room is Valkyrie. Val's another trainer at the Academy so she and I do spend quite a bit of time together. She was supposed to be the volunteer four years ago, but she broke her arm a couple days before the Reaping.

"Ares." Val nods in my direction. "So Victor got an '_8_'."

"Yeah, I'm not thrilled about it," I admit.

Val finishes up her exercise and wipes the sweat from her forehead with an old towel. "I still don't think he should have been the volunteer this year," she says. "It should've been the Hadley kid. Cato, I think is his name."

I frown, refusing to admit that I agree. "Cato always has next year. Besides, Vick's been working hard all his life."

"So?" She begins cleaning the equipment she was using with a spray bottle and a stained rag. "Hard work isn't the same as killing. And he doesn't seem like the killing type."

"What do you mean, '_he doesn't seem like the killing type_'?" I ask, irritated.

"I mean that I've seen kids who are good with weapons and alright during training and the interviews. But once they actually get into the Games, they can't kill," she replies casually. "Or they kill a couple people and then totally lose it."

"Nah, Victor's not like that," I tell her.

She shrugs. "We'll see tomorrow, won't we?"

"Tomorrow. That's when he'll prove you wrong."

"Yeah, don't hold your breath," she says, slinging her gym bag over her shoulder. The look she gives me says that our conversation is over. She leaves and doesn't look back.


End file.
